Improvement in butter-printing apparatus



J. MATTHEWS. Butter-Printing Apparatus.

No.l47,5l1. PatenfedFeb.17.1874,

,AWEET. INVENTUR. X9 18 $MLW i W/KJM/W and arrangement of the different parts.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MATTHEWS, OF KIRKS MILLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTER-PRINTING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,511 dated February 17, 1874; application. filed January 2, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MATTHEWS, of Kirks Mills, inthe county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Printing Butter; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference'bein g had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference refer to the same parts in the different figures.

Figure I represents a front view of the machine, the die being in place and a portion of the box removed to show the relative position Fig. 2 is a view of this die removed from the machine.

This invention has for its object to afford a ready means of forming butter into lumps, regular in form and of certain specified weights, thus facilitating its sale and rendering it convenient to handle and pack for transportation; and it consists in the method of constructing and arranging the different parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,

A represents the bed of the machine pro vided with two cross-pieces upon its under side, which prevent it from .w arpin g when made of wood, as well as to furnish a broad base for the firm support of the superstructure. It is also provided upon its upper side with a recess for the reception of the die K. B B" are the two side pieces or uprights of the machine which are firmly secured in the bed A, and are connected with each other by the two cross-pieces C. These cross-pieces are perforated by square mortises near the middle of their length, which act as guides for the vertical standard D. Upon one side of this standard is secured the rack 61 into which gears the spur-wheel 1D. This wheel makes a partial revolution upon a stationary stud, 0, through the agency of the lever F, which is secured to the wheel by means of a pin passing through the end-of the stud b, and a screw-bolt and nut, a, which, passing through both wheel and lever, attach them firmly to each other. Thus a reciprocating movement given to the handle of the lever is imparted, through the agency of the wheel and rack, to the standard D. Upon the lower end of this standardis secured a follower or piston, II, which fits loosely with in the box I. This box is so constructed as to be raised and lowered, being guided in its movement by projections upon the sides of the uprights B and B, and, when raised, is held in that position by the catch-spring c, secured to the upright 13. The lower part of the box I is enlarged, so that when lowered it shall fit snugly over the beveled sides of the die K. This die slides into a recess in the bed-piece A, and is provided with a handle, 7;, by which it may be easily removed when desired. In operating the machine, the die and box being in place upon the bed-piece, the follower is raised through the agency of the gear-wheel and lever, the latter being carried upward until it passes the perpendicular, in which position, without the assistance of-catehes or similar devices, it will retain the standard and. piston at a sufticient height above the box to allow the requisite quantity of butter to be placed therein, and then a downward movement of the lever brings the follower intothe box and into forcible contact with the butter in the box, which is caused to assume a compact cubical form thereby. The box I is then raised by handles upon its sides, not shown in the drawing, until it is caught by the catch-spring. The followeris then again raised as before, and the die, with the lump of butter upon it, removed by means of its handle from the machine and the lump deposited in any suitable receptacle, the operation being repeated as often as may be necessary.

Having thus described my machine, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcnt- A butter-printing machine, consisting of its inclosing and supporting frame, a vertical. shaft and follower, a baseplate recessed for the reception of a sliding dieplate, and the forming-box, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 29th day of December, 1873.

, JOHN MATTHEIVS.

Witnesses SAMUEL H. DILLIN, W. T, FuL'roiif. 

